Died On This Date (October 15, 1979) Gus Cannon / Early Blues Great
themusicsover Gus Cannon
September 12, 1883 – October 15, 1979
A self-taught musician whose first banjo was made of a frying pan and raccoon skin, Gus Cannon was one of the first popular jug band artists of the ’20s. He was so talented, he reportedly could play the banjo AND the jug at the same time. By 1914, he had his own band, Cannon’s Jug Stompers and was touring with medicine shows. He made his first recordings for Paramount Records in 1927, with Blind Blake providing back up. His most famous song of that era was perhaps, “Walk Right In,” which was made into a hit by the Rooftop Singers in 1962. Although his records were well received and he was growing in popularity outside of his later home of Memphis, Cannon stopped recording in 1930. He and his band, however, continued to be one of he biggest draws along Beale Street. Cannon was all but retired by the late ’30s, but made a comeback in time for the blues and folk revival of the early ’60s. During this later part of his career, he toured coffeehouses with Bukka White and Furry Lewis. He also made a couple of albums for Folkways and Stax. Gus Cannon continued making guest appearances – occasionally in a wheelchair – right up until his death at the age of 96.
What You Should Own
Frankie Venom was the lead singer of Ontario, Canada punk band, Teenage Head which he helped form while still in high school. Formed in 1975, the band was one of Canada’s first wave of punk, and was often called “Canada’s Ramones.” The band signed to Epic Records and released their first album Teenage Head, in 1979. By the time their second album came out in 1980, the band were bonafied stars across Canada and beginning to break through in the U.S. It was not unusual for their concerts to break out into riots by the end. ’80s movie fans may recognize the band from their appearance in the Michael J. Fox film, Class of 1984. In 2003, they teamed up with Marky Ramone to re-record a collection of their old songs entitled Teenage Head with Marky Ramone. 51-year-old Frankie Venom died of throat cancer on October 15, 2008.
